


Homecoming

by minidumpling



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23086471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minidumpling/pseuds/minidumpling
Summary: "I don't know," Adora said."Whaddaya mean?" Catra asked, sitting back up and fixing her gaze on Adora."It's just- we've been enemies for a while now, Catra. This feel wrong," she admitted, hugging herself tightly.Catra shrugged. "I know we were enemies, but before that we were friends. Didn't being enemies feel wrong at first?""It did," Adora said, "but even you said you weren't sure if you could take such a big step back."
Relationships: Adora & Bow (She-Ra), Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 80





	Homecoming

"Is this it?" Bow asked as Adora heaved a heavy crate onto the back of a transport craft. It hit the metal surface with a _t_ _hud_ as Adora released her hands, wiping them on her uniform as she turned to Bow. 

"Yeah, that's the last of them," she said with a sigh, glancing towards Brightmoon. The majestic castle boldly stood out against the rest of the terrain, it's crystal walls throwing light onto the surrounding woods. Trees surrounded all of them, the whispering woods dividing them from their enemy. 

Or, former enemy. "I don't know why they want to consolidate all the Etherians. I mean, we do have to fight against Horde Prime, but do we really have to be all buddy-buddy with the Horde?" Bow exclaimed, throwing his arms outwards in a gesture of outrage. "How does Glimmer expect us to get through a day without blowing up one of them?"

"I dunno," Adora replied, absentmindedly chewing her bottom lip. "I'm starting to regret agreeing to room with Catra."

Bow immediately ceased his tirade, his brows creasing with worry. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? You two _are_ kind of personal enemies and I don't want you to get attacked in your sleep."

Adora laughed, pushing away Bow's concern. "Catra knows not to mess around with me like that. I'll be fine- if I have to change the rooming arrangements, I'll do so, ok?" With that, she cast one last longing glance at Brightmoon and hopped onto the transport. "Let's get there before Glimmer busts our butts for being late again." Bow hesitantly climbed on, clambering over the sides and seating himself against some crates as Adora took control of the craft. 

"I can tell your nervous," said Bow softly as Adora eased the craft forward. "I think you should switch."

"Bow, I'm fine," Adora shot back. "Quit hovering over me and let me deal with it myself."

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Bow quickly responded, confusion flitting across his face as he tried to understand her. "And I want to make sure you're comfortable with the decision before you just go through with it."

Adora just pursed her lips tightly and accelerated the craft into the woods, following the newly worn trail through the vegetation. Despite her best efforts, she still had to wrench her eyes away from the trees as she unconsciously searched for Horde bots. She could see Bow doing the same, except he didn't hold back. His sharp eyes scanned the area around them, searching for the slightest movement among the leaves. 

"Bow, you gotta understand this," Adora said quietly, loud enough to be heard over the engine. "Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone if you want to ever grow."

"But... what are you trying to grow out of?" Bow pressed, his eyes flicking from the trees to her face. "And how can Catra possibly fix that?"

Adora piloted the craft in silence for a while, delaying her response for as long as she could. Bow allowed her to remain mute for a minute, then cough loudly but pointedly into his sleeve. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, stretching the final few seconds as far as they would go. "I'm... trying to re-connect with Catra." She shook her head, silencing Bow's protests. "No, I take that back. I'm just trying to... I don't know. Anything asides from being enemies with her."

Bow immediately expressed his disapproval, standing up for emphasis. "Adora, this is insane! You want to risk your life just so you can be buddies with your enemy?"

Adora whirled around, jerking the craft around as she turned to stare Bow in the eye. "Bow, this is more of a personal thing," she hissed, "I'd prefer if you let me deal with it."

Bow raised his hands in defeat, sitting back down and staring out the side at the green zooming by. "Adora, this decision is yours," he said softly, "but just know if you need any help Glimmer and I will be there in a second, ok?"

Adora forced a small smile, exhaling the breath she'd been holding. "Yeah. Thanks, Bow," she said, raising her hand to brush aside her hair. 

A rustling came from the left side of the craft, and before either Bow or Adora could draw their sword or bow, a figure swooped out from the treetop canopy and landed squarely on Adora's chest, knocking her and her breath to the ground. As Bow notched his arrow, a giggle came from the figure, wild hair and markings on their skin flashing in the intermittent sunlight. Adora recognized the voice instantly. "Catra," she muttered under her breath, pushing her off and calling to Bow. "Don't shoot, it's just Catra."

If this message was intended to calm Bow, it did very little. He lowered the arrow but kept it tightly notched. Catra ignored Bow, flipping her hair at him and turning to Adora, her hands on her hips. "So, I hear we're going to be roommates," she said in her rough voice. "I just wanted to formally introduce myself," she continued with a smirk. "Anyhow, how's the move going? Looks a bit heavy."

Adora gritted her teeth, forcing calming breathes before answering. "Well, it was going great until you showed up."

"Woah, woah," Catra said, a smirk still firmly fixed onto her mouth. "I just came here to say hi and see how you guys were doing. After all, we're friends now, right?"

"Yes," Adora hissed. "Aren't you supposed to be in the Fright Zone or something?"

"Eh," Catra said, waving her hand at the notion of working in the Fright Zone. "I snuck off for a little bit, Hordak can go screw himself." She walked away from Adora, making her way through the crates and seating herself on one, back facing her. She leaned forwards on her arms, her voices slightly hesitant. "So, anyways... you're coming back to the Fright Zone," she said in a flat voice. "How's it... feel?"

"One sec," Adora said, gesturing for Bow to take over the controls for her. He did so hesitantly, casting more glances at Catra and Adora, his eyes practically laser beams of concern. "Just for a little bit, ok Bow?" With that, she made her way to Catra, sitting on the forward lip of the craft and feeling the wind ruffle through her hair. "I haven't entirely made up how I feel about going back," Adora said slowly, quietly. "I left behind a lot there and I'm sure a lot has changed, too. I'm excited to come back, but it's the Fright Zone, Catra. How am I supposed to feel about it?"

Adora felt Catra shrug beside her. "I don't know. You're the one who left."

"I guess I'll figure it out in time," Adora said, staring at the approaching landscape. "But what do you think?"

Catra was silent for a while, mulling over her question. Adora gave Catra time, patiently waiting. "It'll be like taking a huge step backward and erasing everything that's happened recently," Catra finally said, "And I'm not sure if I can take that big of a step."

"Fair enough," Adora replied. 

"Oh," Catra said quietly, "Since I'm so special back at the Fright Zone, we get a separate room. I told Hordak we'd only need uh, one bed." Adora turned to look at her, catching the flames of red expanding on Catra's cheeks. "Just like old times?"

"Yeah," Adora said, smiling faintly. "Just like old times."

  
==============================================================================================

The transport glided into the Fright Zone, passing streams of other crafts as they all made their way to the cut-out in the ground. As they approached, the huge arms of dark structures loomed out of the ground over the trio as they continued towards the center. Adora shivered as the dark shapes passed overhead, strange creaking and clanging sounds resonating from within. Catra stood up and made her way to Adora, placing her arm on her shoulder. "Hey, it's ok," she said softly. "This place is older than the two of us combined, it always does that."

"Yeah," Adora muttered. "I know, it's just strange to be here again like this." She maneuvered the craft into an open space next to a random building and shut it down, inhaling the last wisps of exhaust from the engine as the growl was replaced by sounds of others talking and moving around luggage and more crates. Around them, people bustled back and forth, straining to carry big boxes and asking for directions. The tall, daunting buildings rose around them, the dark colors leeching energy from their surroundings. Adora tore her eyes away from the gray sky and instead motioned to the crates on their craft. "We'll just take the things we need for our room and unpack the rest tomorrow," she said, grabbing the nearest box and hefting it over her shoulder. "Catra, where's our room?" she asked, nodding her head to let her take the lead. 

"Adora." Bow's voice halted her. She turned around to face him. "Adora, just remember what I said, ok?"

"Yeah," Adora said, offering a smile and turning back around. 

They started walking, Catra in front and Adora trailing behind. Suddenly, a looming shadow emerged from a building and stormed over to them, the whirrs and clicks of machinery causing Catra's tail to stiffen and Adora's heart to quicken. 

"Where. Were. You," growled Hordak, standing in their way. 

Catra turned around and pointed at Adora. "Her group just came in, I was helping them get situated. Now if you'll excuse us, I'm going to go show her our room."

Hordak stood still for a second before stepping aside and allowing them to pass. "Remember Catra," he said in a hard voice, "what we discussed beforehand."

"Of course," Catra said smoothly, quickly walking away with Adora in tow. "Don't look backward," she whispered to Adora, continuing to walk straight. 

"Are you... are you scared of Hordak?" Adora asked, huffing from the exertion. 

Catra laughed. "Nah, I just let him think I am." She glanced back, spotting Adora laboring with the extra weight. "Oh, hold on, lemme help." She gripped the underside of the box and lifted, easing the weight on Adora. 

"Thanks," Adora said, panting. "Man, if only I could become SheRa now, this would be a piece of cake."

Catra let out a laugh, more of a cackle really. It warmed up Adora's heart to hear Catra laugh out loud again, her own eyes sliding upwards to see Catra's thrown-back head and smile. "Man, too bad you can't do this with Horde Prime," she said, suppressing more giggles. 

Adora's smile faded a little bit, her failure coming back to bite her. "Yeah... I wish," she said heavily. 

Catra stopped smiling and looked Adora in the eyes. "Adora, this isn't just your job," she said, "it's all of Etheria's job now."

  
Adora raised her head a little bit, seeking comfort in Catra's words. "You think?" she said. "I've heard that over and over from Bow and Glimmer already."

"Yes," Catra said, "I don't know your friends that well but as far as I know they're correct. Make a right here."

The two dragged the crate into an empty room occupied by only a desk, a drawer, and a bed. Dropping the crate on the spot, Adora turned in a circle, feeling the room out. "This feels, so Fright Zone-y," she said, examining the walls and floor. "It's been a while since I've been in a place like this."

"Well, you're gonna have to get used to it whether you like it or not. And speaking of which, it's already two in the morning, so I'm gonna clean up and sleep," Catra said, walking out of the room. "Bathroom's second door on your left," she said as her tail whipped out of sight. Adora listened to Catra's footsteps fade away before kicking open the crate. It was empty aside from a few spare clothes and the remaining fragments of her sword. Brushing the pieces aside, she lifted out the extra clothes and placed them on the desk. Turning back, she struggled to lift the box and sword, eventually resorting to kicking the box into the corner. Standing back, Adora took one final look at her new room before walking out and heading to the bathrooms. As she went to open the door, it swung away, revealing Catra's face.

"Uh, excuse me?" Adora said, awkwardly sidling past Catra. Catra only shook her head and sighed as she walked out, closing the door behind her. Adora took a long and hot shower, letting the scalding water cook her skin until it was bright red. This was her first time alone since she'd entered the Fright Zone, and she'd forgotten how it'd felt when she was still here. The cold, hard metal of the walls shocked her skin whenever she tried to lean against it, and instead of a gentle spray, the showerhead instead blasted water that battered her body. 

Fifteen minutes later, she reentered their room followed by a billowing cloud of steam. Catra sat on the bed, watching her with a detached interest. "Jesus Adora, you look like a lobster," she remarked dryly. Adora shot her a look before shaking out her wet hair. She stood there with her hair dripping in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do next. "Are you gonna sleep or what?" Catra asked, flopping backward on the bed and rubbing her eyes. "'Cause if you don't in the next five seconds I'm going to take your spot."

"I don't know," Adora said. 

"Whaddaya mean?" Catra asked, sitting back up and fixing her gaze on Adora.

"It's just- we've been enemies for a while now, Catra. This feel wrong," she admitted, hugging herself tightly. 

Catra shrugged. "I know we were enemies, but before that we were friends. Didn't being enemies feel wrong at first?"

"It did," Adora said, "but even you said you weren't sure if you could take such a big step back."

"I said that because I was trying to gauge you," Catra replied, standing up and walking over to Adora. "I wasn't sure if you wanted this, so I tried to figure out how you felt about the whole thing."

"What about you?" Adora snapped, feeling annoyed by Catra's noticeable indecisiveness. "What do you think? Isn't this your home?"

Catra stood still, silent as a rock. "I... I didn't feel the same after you left," she said softly, barely above a whisper. "It felt like a piece of me was missing, you know? It felt like there was something huge that I'd just lost all of a sudden." Catra took a breath reliving the horrid days after Adora left. "I didn't know what to do anymore, I didn't know who I was. Eventually, I just filled that hole in with hate and conviction, but it was like forcing the wrong puzzle piece into place. It didn't feel right.

"But this? I don't know yet. It feels different for sure, but it's hard to tell if it's a good difference or a bad difference because we've been enemies for so long and I've convinced myself for so long that you were someone I had to get rid of." She shook her head, pulling her mind out of the clouds. "Anyways, why are you acting so weird? We had a routine and everything, there's no reason not to get back into it."

"Bow, uh, Bow told me to be careful with you," Adora said carefully. "He still doesn't trust you."

"I can't really blame him," Catra said, looking Adora full in the face with searching eyes. "But do you trust me, Adora?"

"I don't know," Adora said into the emptiness. "I mean, after all, you did attack my friends and me multiple times."

Catra cursed and stared off to the side. "Yeah, I guess I should have expected that," she muttered. "But let me explain myself. 

"You were She-Ra. The hero. The great mystical myth that was supposed to fix everything. And people loved you for being She-Ra. And I thought you loved being loved so much that you decided to just up and walk away. I thought the reason you left was that you were She-Ra, and the solution to that was to get rid of She-Ra. I never meant any harm to you, I promise," Catra added, "I just wanted you back so badly."

Adora was quite shocked at Catra's words, so shocked she couldn't process it at first. "Well, I guess you were right," she said. "But I didn't love being loved, Catra. I just had this drive to do the right thing no matter what, even if it meant leaving my best friend behind. I still missed you though. Whenever I ran into you I always hoped I could have both of my two biggest wants, you and my ability to right wrongs. Until now, it just never worked out."

Catra sat heavily on the bed as she pondered the new information. Adora sat down next to her, putting a comforting around her. "I knew you wanted me to come with you," Catra said, "I was just too blind by my own desperation to be independent to do so.

"I'm not now, though," she said, looking at Adora. "I'm different now."

"I know," Adora said, taking Catra's hand. "Can we sleep now? I'm about to fall over."

Catra curled up at the foot of the bed, silently watching Adora climb into bed. Quietly, she slipped under the covers, silently slipping her body and then her legs underneath. Her legs bumped against Catra, causing her to fold them up in a painful way.

"Uh, Catra," Adora whispered. "I think this bed is too small for us to sleep like this." Catra shifted on the sheets, uncurling from the end of the bed. "D'you think you could move a little further down or to the side?"

"Do I look like a tiny insect?" She hissed back. "No, I'm already at the corner of the bed."

Adora sighed into the darkness, contemplating their options. "You can't stay curled up at the edge like that."

"No, I am. There's no stopping me," Catra said. 

"Yeah, but then I can't sleep well like this," Adora replied. Catra went still, mulling over Adora's words. 

"Fine," she muttered, getting up and walking to where Adora's head was. "Move over."

Adora shimmied to the other side of the bed, allowing Catra to slide under the covers next to her. Her legs slid next to Adora's, causing her to let out a small yelp as Catra's freezing skin touched hers. "Jesus Catra, you must be cold."

She felt Catra shrug. "I'm used to it." Adora craned her neck to look at Catra, waiting for her to elaborate. "I was like this after you left, and after a while, I just became accustomed to it."

A small piece of Adora's heart broke as she imagined Catra, alone, curled up at the foot of their bed, waiting for Adora to return. 

"C'mere," she said, turning to face Catra and wrapping her arms around her. She snuggled her own body against Catra's offering her warmth and absorbing the cold into her own body. Catra went stiff for a second but soon melted into the embrace, purrs escaping from her mouth. "You're not going to freeze to death on my watch," Adora whispered. 

"I don't care," Catra whispered back. "Now shut up and let me die in peace." As she spoke, she pressed against Adora, craving the contact and heat. Adora held her tighter, their legs tangling in the sheets as they eventually drifted off into a dark slumber. 

As their eyes finally closed, Adora nuzzled Catra's hair with her nose. "I missed you," she whispered. 

"Missed you too," Catra whispered back. 

=================================================================================================================

In the morning, Adora's eyes slowly fluttered open to soft beams of sunlight working their way through the windows. She reached for Catra, but her hand groped nothing but tangled sheets. Eyes opening all the way, she saw a note left on the bed reading "you know where to find me." Jumping out of bed, Adora hastily pulled on her clothes and ran outside, her boots clanging against the metal. People stepped aside in the narrow hallway as she sprinted through the building, eventually banging through a door and stepping outside, taking a huge breath of air. Looking up to her right, she saw the overhang of the building's triangular roof. Lifting her foot and ignoring the whispers of spectators near her, she climbed over the railing and began to inch her way across the pipes clinging to the side of the building, slowly making her way up to the roof. 

When her hand crested the top and she heaved herself up, her eyes instantly snapped to Catra, sitting on the rooftop with her back facing Adora. Brushing off her hands, she made her way over and sat down, letting her feet dangle over the edge. "You need anything," she asked, playfully bumping Catra's shoulder with her elbow. 

"Nah," Catra said, "I just came here to talk." She put her chin on her forearm, gazing out at the horizon in front of them. "Great view, huh?" she said softly, a small smile eclipsing her face. 

"Yeah. This is probably one of the best memories I have of this place," Adora replied, sighing as the sun's tentative peek over the horizon cast light onto her face. The two sat in silence for a while, watching as the darkness slowly faded into brilliant colors that eventually gave way to the solid colors of the day. 

"Adora, I'm not sure how to say this," Catra said slowly, "but last night when I was talking about how it felt like a piece of me was missing when you left, I meant it."

"I could tell," responded Adora. "Your tail wasn't swishing around like it doesn't when you're uncomfortable or lying."

Catra's face caught between an expression of disbelief. "Huh," she said, "I never noticed that. But I didn't say how empty I felt, how lonely I was when it was just me."

"Trust me, I know the feeling," Adora said, sighing. "When I first came to Brightmoon, I had to hide because the only clothes I had were my Horde uniform."

"Hhh, I guess that counts," Catra said. "But now that you're back, I feel whole again. I don't feel this ridiculous weight that I used to carry around with me anymore because you're back, and you fixed my problems.

"I told myself my weakness was that I was dependent on you too much, that I had to make my own stand," she continued, staring at the grooves cutting lines through her fingertips. "I thought I was fixing problems by attacking you and pushing you away in my mind, but I didn't realize I needed you as much as I need to breathe. I couldn't be without you because I was in love with you. I was a kid, a younger version of me and I didn't understand it, but after last night now I do." Catra let out a laugh, "For God's sake, we slept together for years, how could we miss that?" She turned to look at Adora, her sharp face softening in the hazy sunrise. 

Adora didn't say anything. She wasn't a person big with words, more with actions. Instead, she leaned over and gently caressed Catra's hair, staring at the strands and her eyes and mouth and nose. "Yeah," she whispered, leaning in and delicately pressing her lips against Catra's. Her eyes closed, she only felt Catra's lips on hers and the tickling breeze that accompanied the sunlight that lit up the world underneath them. Catra responded, smoothly kissing Adora back and cupping her cheek in her hand, running her thumb back and forth across the skin. 

Catra broke off the kiss, opening her eyes to see Adora's face bathed in the gentle sunlight. "When you left I scratched out our names in our bunk," she whispered softly. "I think it's time we fix that." Extending her claws, she slowly scratched out their names on the metal floor between them. 

"It's perfect," Adora said, lightly tracing over the etch with her finger. 

Catra extended an arm and pulled Adora close, snuggling their bodies together and putting her head on Adora's shoulder. Adora turned her head to give Catra a kiss, then leaned her head on Catra's. Together, the two watched the sun continue to rise, illuminating Horde Prime's ship silently waiting above, but also the vast and brilliant landscape that spanned their entire vision; huge forests that stretched across the horizon and a baby-pink sky maturing into a beautiful day. 


End file.
